Just Checking
by Moonshine 369
Summary: When James declares he's going to propose to Lily, Sirius puts her to the test to make sure that she's good enough for his best mate.


**DRABBLE DRABBLE DRABBLE.  
Just something I thunked up one day and decided to post. Did I mention it was drabble? Which would explain if it may be a tad bit confusing and poorly written. Don't judge meee!**

**Also, for future reference, this is not a Sirius/Lily fic. Sorry to dissapoint the SL shippers. It is strictly LJ.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything, and kind of suck at coming up with witty disclaimers. **

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"This is it, Padfoot."

Sirius looked up from his lap where his incomplete and overdue potions essay sat. The ink stains that decorated the crinkled parchment nearly matched the dark brown of his hair that he brushed off of his shoulder as he looked up at his friend. Friends came first. Essays could wait. But then, everything came before essays.

James had the strangest glint in his eye as he stared at Sirius with a grin so wide that it was a wonder his face could contain it. It was as though, although he was looking directly at Sirius, he was, at the same time, looking _past_ him.

Sirius had never seen him so happy before in his life. Through all the fun and all the pranks, during all the parties and _everything_.

"This is what?" Sirius sucked on the end of his quill, the metallic tasting ink rolling around on his tongue. He planned to crack a joke, but couldn't come up with anything. He enjoyed seeing his friend this happy. He didn't particularly want to ruin the mood.

James reached into his pocket and produced a small, black box. He lifted the top and revealed a beautiful, glimmering engagement ring with an exceptionally large diamond.

This time the joke came easily. "Why, Prongs, I'm flattered, but—I barely _know_ you!" Sirius raised his hand to his mouth girlishly. "Plus, I just don't swing that way."

"Funny," James commented dryly. "It's for _Lily_." The way he said her name made it sound like a blessing, or a prayer, the gentle whisper resounding over and over in Sirius's finely tuned ears.

Sirius looked him over for a moment. He suspected he looked very matronly, looking at his friend like that, but he couldn't help it. And he didn't mean to sound like a nag, but—

"Are you sure?" he asked. "I mean, you're only eighteen, and plus--"

"Nineteen," James corrected. "In a month."

"And six days," Sirius added, knowingly. "I know. But are you sure she's the one for you? This sounds wrong," he thought aloud, and mulled over a way he could say it without having it come out like an accusation. "I'm not trying to down Lily or anything. I got nothing against the broad. _Woman_," he corrected himself after a pointed glance from James. "But, maybe you should think about it before you go off and propose."

"Well, aren't you Mr. Fatherly all of a sudden," James said, but it was jokingly, as nothing could down his mood at the moment. He added, for Sirius's sake, "But, yes, I'm sure. I've never been more sure of a thing in my life."

Sirius nodded slowly. "When are you planning on proposing?"

"Tomorrow," James said, glad that Sirius had accepted the situation.

"Alright," Sirius stood up, taking his essay and quill along with him. "I'll be back in a minute."

James stared after him, thoroughly confused. What just happened?

--

Lily really was a beauty. Her thick, fire red mane of hair cascaded over her shoulders, half of it pulled into a pony tail. Her emerald green eyes had darted up to spot Sirius the second he stepped into the common room.

They were the only two in it, which made sense, considering the hour. Most everyone was asleep this late, either that or out on the grounds making fools of themselves, like James used to do a lot more often before he cleaned up his act for Lily.

Not that Sirius was really complaining. There were two things you could do as a seventh year. You could: A) Hang on to your underage years for as long as you can or B) Accept the fact that you were about to be a grown adult, and start acting like it. The wizards who chose B, like Lily and James, tended to be more successful later in their lives.

"Hi, Sirius," she said, her silky melodic voice merry, although obviously very tired. She sat indian style at a low coffee table on which a very thick book rested. Promptly, she folded down a corner of the old, crinkled pages and closed it, pushing it aside. "What'cha got?" Obviously, she'd seen the parchment in his hand.

Ever since she and James had started going out, naturally she and Sirius had grown closer, especially judging by how strong the bond was between her and James. Normally Sirius paid no attention to James's coming and going girlfriends, but James was completely right when he testified that Lily was different. In a good way. _Special._

Either way, Lily automatically guessed that Sirius wanted help with something, and he wasn't about to correct her. It was a good excuse to be able to talk to her casually.

Sirius sat across the table from her. Even sitting, he towered a good head above her.

"I just need help on the closing," Sirius said, handing her the parchment and smoothing out the crinkles, then pushing it across the table for her to read. "And then maybe you could spell check it for me?"

"Sure," Lily said, looking at the crinkly parchment. "Good game today, by the way," Lily commented as her eyes focused on each scribbled word, narrowing to be able to understand Sirius's jumbled and, for the most part, illegible handwriting. She referred to the Gryffindor's quidditch game that morning, and she was right. It _was_ good. They had completely dominated Slytherin in the last game of the year.

"Why, thank you."

"Mmhmm." Lily's voice was preoccupied. She looked up at me, those green eyes affixing themselves on his. "Sirius, this is really good writing." She glanced back at the parchment. "There are very few spelling and grammar flaws, except for right _here_ and right _here_," she said, circling a few words and phrases with a quill of her own. "And you've basically got the closing down. Just take the last paragraph and split it in half _here_"—she drew a line—"and the second half will be your conclusion." She glanced up at him, back at his parchment, and back at him again. He had his poker face on securely.

Fixing her eyes back on his parchment, rereading over it again although they both knew she was just trying to make herself appear busy so she didn't have to look him in the eye, she asked, "Sirius, what did you come down here for?"

He stayed quiet for a few moments, just staring at her as she pretended to be engrossed in his sloppy essay.

She stole a peek up at him, catching him staring, and he looked away.

"You're a lucky girl, Lily," he said, still looking past her.

She blushed, her cheeks flushing a shade that nearly matched her hair. "Is that what this is about?" she said. "Because, honestly Sirius," she looked up at him and he turned back to look at her. She lowered her voice as if it were a vital secret. "I certainly already know that." She winked at him sisterly.

Sirius looked away from her again. "I just wanted to remind you. And I wanted to tell you that you should never forget that, Lils." Again, he met her curious gaze. "He'd give the world for you." She blushed again.

Hastily, she busied herself by re-opening her book and flipping rapidly to the page she was at before Sirius had interrupted her. "Is that all?"

He leaned into her. "That's not even the half of it," he whispered, intentionally making himself near enough to her so that his cold breath could be felt on her neck. It worked better than he could've hoped, as she shuddered.

"Sirius," Lily said, warily. "Are you trying to tell me something?"

He leaned back again. "You're a lucky girl, Lily." He said, and then sighed, theatrically. "And James is a lucky man. A very, very, _very_ lucky man."

Lily had no response to this. She stared up at him, awestruck, and it was obvious she was trying to piece together his words. Again, he leaned across the table to her.

"Do you like… taking _risks_, Lily?"

Lily snapped out of her trance-like state. "Excuse me, _what_?"

Sirius ignored her indignation. "What I'm trying to say is… are you good at keeping secrets, Lily?"

She drew back, her mouth hanging open, aghast. "Sirius," she chided, her voice strained as if she were struggling not to slap him. "He's your _best mate_."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Sirius leaned all the way over and kissed her, hard and hungrily, using every ounce of experience he'd ever gained.

Her soft lips expressed her confusion, and she remained unresponsive, letting him do all the moving, but at the same time, not pulling away.

And slowly, her lips moved in sync with his, just for about three seconds. Sirius felt disappointment flooding through him. _Come on, Lily_, he thought sourly. _You love _James._ Have some resistance. Some willpower._

And as if she'd heard him, she suddenly drew back and slapped him, hard, across the face.

Sirius grabbed his jaw, grinning, but not sinisterly or cruelly, or even seductively as she'd expected him to. He wasn't grinning like one normally would after trying to get his best friend's girlfriend to cheat on him, because he wasn't. He was doing quite the opposite.

He was grinning like a Marauder who'd just gotten away with a wonderful prank, or a fifth year who'd just aced his O.W.L.'s. He was grinning because he was proud of Lily.

And before she had a chance to register this, Sirius was hugging her.

"Thank Merlin, Lily, you passed," he chirped, merrily.

Lily stared at him horrorstruck until the wheels in her head clicked into place. She let out a nervous chuckle and said, "Did James put you up to this? Of all the untrusting--"

"Shh," Sirius said hastily. "No, he didn't. And we won't mention it, will we?"

Lily shook her head. She smiled back at him motherly, shaking her head like a mom who didn't want to discipline her child because what he was doing was too cute.

"Thanks for the essay help, Lils," Sirius said, more loudly than necessary. He offered her his hand.

"Anytime, Sirius," she said, shaking it gingerly.

Sirius grinned again and walked back up to the common room, managing to seem causual as if the previous scene had never existed.

"You're a lucky guy," Sirius repeated to James when he appeared back upstairs in the boy's dormitory.

And he was. Because he now knew that it would never cross Lily's mind to cheat on him.

_And for a hundred other reasons_, Sirius added to himself silently, thinking of the virtuous Lily. _And many more._

James's thoughts consisted of the same question they had when Sirius had left the room earlier: What just happened?

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I hope you liked it! Review, or I may just be insulted. (Gasp!)


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